Utah kicks off year-long celebration of America’s 250th birthday

SALT LAKE CITY — America’s 250th birthday is still a year away, but Utah is already kicking off a yearlong celebration leading up to that big milestone with an event held on the Capitol steps.

Of all the days to break out a patriotic umbrella, Julie Taggart Rabe figured today was about as good as it gets.

“It’s America,” Rabe said. “It’s what makes me free and it’s what my ancestors fought for.”

But it wasn’t just her umbrella she brought to Utah’s State Capitol — it was a kind of piece of American history itself.

Her great, great, great, great, great-grandfather (that’s five greats) was standing next to the first officer killed in the Revolutionary War. This ponytail is to mark that occasion.

“250 years ago, he had his ponytail shot off his queue,” Rabe said. “We made these in our family so my kids remember.”

So, what better way to honor him than to be at Utah State Capitol, along with others, to kick off a whole year of Utah celebrating America’s 250th Birthday?

The event brought out special guests and state leaders all to celebrate words on paper that mean so much more.

“An idea that meant a new experiment,” Gov. Spencer Cox said. “An idea of self-governance.”

“We’re celebrating our freedoms,” Utah Commission co-chair Ron Fox said. “Elected officials that we elect. Our freedoms of religion and free speech.”

Organizers said we can expect guided hikes, fireworks (when conditions allow), concerts, and community celebrations all across Utah over the next year… all leading up to July 4, 2026.